Clay Holmes throwing a pitch
It looks all but certain Clay Holmes won’t return to the New York Yankees in 2025. The right-handed reliever is on the free agency market, and after struggling throughout parts of the campaign, parting ways seems to be the logical thing to do for both sides.
The Yankees will have a chance to replace him with Tanner Scott, who’s arguably the best closer in Major League Baseball. Scott would be an incredible addition, but his potential price tag could get in the Yankees’ way of signing him.
In the latest prediction from Matthew Marasco of Just Baseball, he had Scott getting about $68 million in total over four years, a hefty price to pay for a reliever.
“Scott is far and away the best reliever on this list and will be one of the biggest prizes this offseason. He posted a 1.75 ERA across 72 innings in 2024, with a sub-3.00 FIP and a K/9 of 10.5.
“Also worth noting here is the eye test. Some of the final images of Scott from the 2024 season were of him dominating Shohei Ohtani in the NLDS, a fact that, as much as front offices try to be analytically driven, is hard to ignore,” Marasco wrote on November 15. “The lefty will be in a class all of his own this winter in terms of contract, likely fetching a four-year deal with an AAV between $15M and $17M.”
Scott Would Help the Yankees Beat the Dodgers
After losing in the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees goal needs to be returning to the top of the baseball world in 2025. Unfortunately, that won’t be easy, as the Dodgers will likely be waiting for them again in the World Series.
Having Scott could change everything for the Yankees. A lockdown closer was needed in Game 1, but instead, the Yankees turned to Nestor Cortes. He gave up a walk-off home run, and the series flipped in the Dodgers direction.
David Schoenfield of ESPN believes that Scott is the one pitcher who would help a team beat the Dodgers, citing their dominance as a ball club.
“From 2004 to 2017, the American League won interleague play every season — often by large margins. The reason, in retrospect, seems clear: The Yankees, and then the Red Sox, had grown so powerful that it forced the other AL teams to raise their own level to compete. That’s kind of the state we’re in now in the National League: Teams have to compete with and beat the Dodgers. And that’s why Scott will be in extremely high demand.
“As one of the premier lefty relievers in the game — or maybe the top overall one — he’s a guy who can get through the Ohtani/Betts/Freeman vortex of horror. Over the past two seasons, he has a 2.04 ERA with 188 strikeouts and only six home runs allowed in 150 innings,” Schoenfield wrote on November 14. “Lefties have hit .167 against him. Scott’s projected contract (four years, $54 million) pales in comparison to the $95 million deal Josh Hader received last offseason from the Astros — and Scott might be better.”
Is Scott Worth $68 Million?
The New York Yankees have other needs on their roster, but they can’t forget how important the back end of the bullpen is.
The issue, however, is that other closers who recently got this type of contract haven’t panned out. Scott might be better than others, posting a 1.75 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 72.0 innings, but that’s a lot of money to give to a 30-year-old closer.
